China Is Main Supplier of Foreign Tech in Russian Weapons: Ukraine

A Ukrainian serviceman carries captured anti-tank grenade launchers at a former position of Russian soldiers in the village of Blahodatne in Kherson region, Ukraine, Nov. 11, 2022. Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

Nearly 60 percent of the foreign parts found in Russian weapons come via China, Ukrainian presidential adviser Vladyslav Vlasiuk said during a briefing in Brussels on Sept. 24.

Vlasiuk showed reporters a list of technology found on the battlefield, which included advanced chips made by U.S. companies such as Analog Devices, Texas Instruments, AMD-owned Xilinx, and Intel’s Altera, as well as Germany-based Infineon’s Cypress Semiconductor. Some of the chips were made as recently as last year, while others were manufactured over a decade ago.

“If you take all the usual types of weapons and count the foreign made components – about 60 percent would be coming from China. We have had lengthy discussions with some manufacturers about this,” said Vlasiuk, who was in Brussels to meet with European Union and G7 members to discuss sanctions against Russia. “The PRC [People’s Republic of China] is the biggest problem I would say.”

Vlasiuk urged Europe to sanction Russia’s nuclear firm Rosatom, as Ukraine believes Rosatom networks are being used to supply the Russian Armed Forces.

Rosatom is one of the leading nuclear energy firms, with 17 percent of the global nuclear fuel market, about 50 percent of the uranium processing and enrichment market, and 70 percent of the reactor export market.

Since it supplies critical energy to Europe, sanctions would create new difficulties for the European Union.

Vlasiuk also proposed sanctions targeting Russia’s logistics access—airports and seaports—and financial institutions.

Vlasiuk’s request comes as the United States called on European countries to do more to dissuade China from supporting the Russian military.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has publicly denied that it is supporting Russia in the Russia–Ukraine war, but the U.S. government and media investigations have uncovered ways in which CCP-linked companies are helping Russia evade international sanctions.

Last month, the United States sanctioned 400 Russian and Chinese companies for their part in the Russia–Ukraine conflict, targeting IT firms and Russia’s financial sector, which Vlasiuk said has been effective.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said in Brussels earlier this month that the Russia–China cooperation was “not a tactical alliance“ but ”a fundamental alignment” that was “orchestrated at the highest levels of the two states.”

“China supplies weapons and parts, while Russia provides support in developing China’s military capabilities,” Campbell said.

Campbell said that Russia’s help in perfecting certain military capabilities for China would have “an important, negative and concerning impact” on other nations in the Indo-Pacific region.

Russia is training the Chinese military in key areas including submarines, aeronautical design, stealth technology, and missile capabilities, he added.

Campbell called on European nations to be more forceful in condemning and blocking Russia-China cooperation.

Reuters contributed to this report.